The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has expanded their archiving efforts in tDAR to include a new set of georeferenced versions of maps of central Tikal (originally published in Tikal Report 11: Map of the Ruins of Tikal, El Peten, Guatemala by Robert F. Carr and James E. Hazard in 1961). The print maps were georeferenced and checked for accuracy by a University of Cincinnati project at Tikal, and have not been widely circulated until now.  The electronic versions of these maps will be especially useful resources for archaeologists, biologists, tourists and to the managers of Tikal National Park, and are intended for use with GIS software.

Please visit https://core.tdar.org/project/390922 to view the georeferenced Tikal maps!

This project, created by the Center for Digital Antiquity under contract with the United States Air Force covers documents and other digital resources from archaeological research conducted at or for Dyess Air Force Base (Dyess AFB). Dyess AFB, established in 1942 as Abilene Army Air Base (AAB), is a B1-Bomber base on 6,409-acre located in the southwest corner of Abilene, TX in Taylor County. The archaeology of the Taylor County area dates the human occupation of the area from about 12,500 B.C. into the present. Dyess AFB has at least seven recorded archaeological sites and 300 Cold War era facilities. A number of archaeological investigations of varying intensity and detail have been conducted since the 1920’s on or around Dyess AFB. The Dyess AFB cultural resource staff and US Air Force archaeologists collaborated with Digital Antiquity curators to create a digital repository of these archaeological documents and other materials.

In the tDAR archive these reports and other digital data are now readily accessible for necessary management reviews and decision-making, research and educational uses, and to ensure their long-term preservation. Air Force cultural resource staff will be able to use tDAR to access information about the archaeological resources at Dyess readily whether they are at the base, where they might be able to find a paper copy, or not.  The goal of this digital archiving effort is to identify archaeological documents, data sets, images, and other materials relevant to the area within and near Dyess; obtain or create digital copies of reports, data sets, images, and other appropriate materials; check the text and illustrations of each report and redact information that should be kept “confidential;” and deposit the materials into tDAR, where they can be accessed (as appropriate) and preserved for future use.

The overall digital archiving project for the Air Force is continuing with similar efforts underway for Shaw AFB (South Carolina) and Avon Park AFB (Florida). Regarding the Dyess materials, which have never before been widely available, only a few of the documents are regarded as having confidential information, so most of the items are generally available to registered tDAR users.  This tDAR collection of documents will be particularly useful for CRM contractors, teachers, and researchers who are interested in the archaeology in the area. Of special note for anyone interested in a good overview of the archaeology of the area is Nancy Kenmotsu’s 2011 report, Archaeological Needs Assessment for Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas.  

Documents

• An Archaeological Curation-Needs Assessment for Headquarters Air Combat Command Volume 2 (1997)
• An Archaeological Curation-Needs Assessment of Military Installations in Selected Western States Volume 1 (2000)
• Archaeological Needs Assessment for Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas (2011)
• Cultural Resources in the Proposed Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Facilities, Dyess Air Force Base, Taylor County, Texas (1989)
• Dyess AFB Properties that Will Become Eligible (2011)
• Dyess Air Force Base and Ellsworth Air Force Base Force Structure Change Environmental Assessment (2002)
• Email summary of Dyess AFB collections stored at the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory (2004)
• Final Environmental Assessment Implementation of Defense BRAC Commision Recommendations Dyess AFB, Texas (2007)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement, Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Program, Volume I (1989)
• Final Environmental Impact Statement, Peacekeeper Rail Garrison Program, Volume II (1989)
• Final Report Cultural Resources Survey of Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Taylor County, Texas (1995)
• Impact of Current and Future Limitations on Training Quality and Access (2005)
• Memorandum of Understanding, Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory and Dyess AFB (2004)
• TARL Letter of Collection Condition 6-23-2004, Dyess AFB (2004)

Images

• Dyess AFB Archive Images (2004)

Digital Antiquity is pleased to announce the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (PennMuseum) collection in tDAR. Digital curators created metadata and uploaded all of the digital supplementary material from 18 books published by the Penn Museum.

These incredible materials include rich data sets, images, and reports, all available for download by registered tDAR users. tDAR’s content is indexed by major search engines, and exposes the Penn Museum’s  published digital content to searchers who may otherwise be unaware of these books and their associated digital media.    

The books themselves are available for purchase at the University of Pennsylvania Press (Penn Press) website at http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/series/UPM.html. The books focus on scholarship from around the world including:

Asia & the Pacific

• Ban Chiang, a Prehistoric Village Site in Northeast Thailand, Volume 1: The Human Skeletal Remains
• Mapping Mongolia: Situating Mongolia in the World from Geologic Time to the Present
• Santa Cruz Island Figure Sculpture and Its Social and Ritual Contexts

Middle East/Eurasia

• Botanical Aspects of Environment and Economy at Gordion, Turkey
• Exploring Iran: The Photography of Erich F. Schmidt, 1930-1940
• Gordion Seals and Sealings Individuals and Society
• Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers of the Baikal Region, Siberia Bioarchaeological Studies of Past Life Ways
• Peoples and Crafts in Period IVB at Hasanlu, Iran

Mesoamerica

• The Artifacts of Tikal—Ornamental and Ceremonial Artifacts and Unworked Material Tikal, Report 27A
• The Artifacts of Tikal—Utilitarian Artifacts and Unworked Material Tikal Report 27B
• The Maya Vase Conservation Project
• Settlement Archaeology at Quiriguá, Guatemala
• Tikal Report 34, Part A: Additions and Alterations: A Commentary on the Architecture of the North Acropolis, Tikal, Guatemala
• Tikal Report 37: Historical Archaeology at Tikal, Guatemala

Europe

• Dún Ailinne: Excavations at an Irish Royal Site, 1968-1975
• Etruscan Myth, Sacred History, and Legend
• Reports on the Vrokastro Area, Eastern Crete, Volume 2: The Settlement History of the Vrokastro Area and Related Studies
• Reports on the Vrokastro Area, Eastern Crete, Volume 3 The Vrokastro Regional Survey Project, Sites and Pottery